New York is hoping to pass a bunch of new gun control laws this year. Apparently the lax firearms laws in New York City are causing all sorts of gun violence. Included on their wish list is a law that would allow, nay, encourage New Yorkers to sue out of state gun dealers and manufacturers. New York lawyers must be chomping at the bit.

Councilman David Yassky (D-Brooklyn), the Council's most vocal supporter of a tough gun-liability bill, raised objections yesterday to the removal of a provision aimed at so-called bad-apple dealers.

Critics of the gun industry contend that 75% of all guns used in crimes in the city can be traced to a small number of dealers in states with lax gun laws.

As originally drafted, the Council bill would have exposed those out-of-state gun dealers to damage liability if they sold more than 20 guns within any continuous 12-month period that were subsequently traced to use in a crime here.

Maybe Yassky's cohorts removed the provision because they didn't think they could get away with it.